Reflective Blues & Jazz Revue …

A Message From The Blues Blogger

It’s been a while since I’ve written a post on the blog, so I thought I would take a moment to give you all a quick update.

During my hiatus I concentrated on some offline matters. It wasn’t anything urgent; just things in life that often get overlooked and need re-focusing. As a result, (and my wife and son agree with me here) 2011 ended up being one of the very best years overall for us as a family. And 2012 is looking pretty good too.

In my absence The Blues Blogger site continued to have its fair share of traffic. In fact for some reason I’ve been witnessing some huge traffic surges lately. But before I could begin working on the blog again there were a number of major updates that were necessary.

Most of the code and framework was close to five years old. So I needed to do some renovations and upgrades to the back-end operation of the site first. This was done, not only for the traffic the site receives, but for easier administration and also because many of you read this blog on your portable devices now.

And of course a little paint always seems to spruce things up a bit.

Overall I believe it’s easier to read, search and experience many of the articles I’ve written over the years. And with large Twitter, Facebook and feature video widgets it’s a much better platform for engaging social media while keeping with the familiar look and feel.

For My Loyal Readers

It’s important to know that without my dedicated online readers/friends who regularly stop in and say hello, this music site would not nearly be as much fun. Their sincere and warm comments really kicked the posts you read here up a few notches. Please know that your input is always welcome and very much appreciated. I apologize for not being there as of late. I miss you all and I’m slowly working on getting back into the groove.

For New Readers

For those who are unfamiliar with this site, the blog started as a therapeutic way to express myself after my heart attack in the Fall of 2007. The Blues Blogger then became my canvas for my thoughts. And it carried me through a very difficult time.

During my recovery I never imagined the type of overwhelming response I’d receive. I still continue to be humbled by it all. As I’ve said many times before, music has intense healing powers and for me is the greatest medicine I know of.

Artists, Record Labels, Public Relations Agencies

I receive tons of email for requests. Unfortunately because I run the entire site solo it’s impossible to reply to everyone. But now that the updates on my site are complete, it gives me more freedom to add new events, post updates and for creative ideas. So you never know! Send me your requests by clicking here.

My Family

Without my wife and son’s support none of these crazy endeavors I do would be possible. Between me and my teenage son, the type of zaniness my wife TBBW puts up with is incredible. Even though I know she’s a Blues Blogger fan, I want to promise her she won’t have to look at my blog posts to see what’s happening this time around.

As we continue to become accustomed to this new age of sharing information, seasoned musicians and upcoming artists will be recognized more than ever for their contributions and commitment. It’s their heartfelt efforts that continue to inspire people like myself in a way that would not be possible without them.

So now as I usually do, I’ll hand this post over to you… How have you been? What are your thoughts on the new layout for the site? Who are some of the artists you’d like to see featured on The Blues Blogger in the future? Please leave your comments below.

4 Responses to “A Message From The Blues Blogger”

Thank you for your fantastic website, which I’ve been following for a few years. I’ve passed it on to friends in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany and even Bulgaria! They love it too.

VAN MORRISON BLUES & JAZZ

I’m a big Van Morrison fan who has covered a lot of blues and Jazz over the years, You could fill at least 3 cd’s with his blues stuff alone! He has recorded several jazz albums as well. I’ve got a very big Youtube Channel with over 165 Van clips, with nearly 2.5 million “hits” on my Youtube Channel which is virtually dedicated to Van the Man and some other blues stuff. My Youtube channel is called vossmeister.

Van has his own unique style, but he has also covered R&B, Blues, Jazz (at least three albums), Skiffle, C&W and a bit of Rock. He plays saxophone, guitar, piano, mouth organ and drums and has composed about 400 songs. Received an OBE from the Queen, has a Star on Hollywood Boulevard, the Songwriters Hall of Fame award and the R&R Hall of Fame award. He has also recorded with John Lee Hooker, BB King, Bob Dylan, the Band, Lonnie Donegan, the Chieftains, Mose Allison, Georgie Fame, Tom Jones, Cliff Richard, Chris Barber, the BBC Big Band, Pink Floyd, Solomon Burke and many more!

Van has always done blues, he’s recorded with John Lee Hooker songs like “Never get out of this blues alive”, “Don’t look back”, “Serves me right to suffer” and also with BB King “If you love me”. On Philosopher’s stone – “Ordinary people”. He’s recorded standards like “St James infirmary”, “Help me”, “Georgia on my mind” and his own compositions like “Fast train”, “Lonely avenue”, “Big time operators” and “Choppin’ wood”. Also “Good morning blues”, “Back﻿ of town blues” etc etc so plenty Van blues!

As Far as Jazz Goes

a lot of Van’s music is very jazzy, but he has done a couple of Jazz albums “Tell me something” the songs of Mose Allison, “How long has this been going on” Van Morrison with Georgie fame & friends” and appears on Chris Barber’s latest album “Memories of my trip” and also Van’s album “The Skiffle Sessions” with Lonnie Donegan and Chris Barber. So if you could publish something about “Van the Man” Van Morrison that would be “Vantastic”!

Glad to see you back , missed our time together. You know when I read your blog,about my life .Picked up a few new people to listen too the one I’m on right now is Hadden Sayers. Have you covered him in the past and I missed it.?

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The music seen and heard on this site are meant to enhance the enjoyment of the articles and the reader's overall experience. My intention is to honor the artists that have inspired me by weaving my personal experiences together with my love of their music... If you like the music you hear, I urge you to support them by attending their performances and/or purchasing their music. If you hold the copyright and would like me to remove your song or picture then please contact me. I will do so immediately upon request.